Video and graphics systems are typically used in television control electronics, such as set top boxes, integrated digital TVs, and home network computers. When conventional video and graphics systems on integrated circuit chips are used with a host CPU in the television control electronics, a separate bridge controller, which is also referred to as a “north bridge,” is typically used to couple the host CPU to peripheral devices.
This application includes references to both graphics and video, which reflects in certain ways the structure of the hardware itself. This split does not, however, imply the existence of any fundamental difference between graphics and video, and in fact much of the functionality is common to both. Graphics as used herein may include graphics, text and video.